


Flat On His Face

by mantisbelle



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Meetings, Nosebleed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 03:46:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14179848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantisbelle/pseuds/mantisbelle
Summary: "I saw that you were feeding the geese." Wash says, his voice coming out far too nasally."I was." Connie shrugs, offering him a fresh tissue. Wash takes it graciously. "And you were running with your shoes untied."





	Flat On His Face

**Author's Note:**

> An anonymous user sent me the prompt "Modern AU, Wash goes jogging only to trip over his laces, CT comes by and helps him up." for the RVB Fluff Week event. I thought it was a cute idea and this was what became of it. 
> 
> If you're reading this, anon, I hope you like it, and thank you for the prompt!

Wash _really_ can't do much to help his huffing and puffing as he runs, lungs feeling only a little like they were on fire. His friends had ditched him, or at least outran him in some sort of weird competition. Carolina and York are competitive, and Maine and the Twins have freakishly long legs. So much for going running together. It had ended up just about the way that Wash had been expecting.  
  
What that meant was that Wash had fallen behind the rest of them by quite a bit. All because he'd wanted to take a moment to stop at a public water fountain and get a drink. He's going to catch up with the rest of them eventually, he just has to be able to _do it_ first. Probably starting by tracking down where they’d gotten off to.  
  
He's in the middle of a park. There are couples walking together and kids at play off on a nearby swing set. There's a little pond where a short woman in a brown dress and odd haircut crouches down, feeding something to what Wash initially assumes are ducks but quickly learns are actually _geese._  
  
It distracts him, for just a moment too long, and then he's falling forward. The slight tug down near his ankles tells him _exactly_ what has happened too.  
  
Wash crashes to the ground, putting his arms out in front of himself to try and catch himself instead of letting himself get hurt. He slips on the way down, scraping his palms. A little too roughly, his face hits the ground, and Wash _wishes_ that the nosebleed he comes away from it with was actually a surprise.   
  
He lets out a groan and tries to push himself up. The blood drips down onto the pavement, and Wash is _really_ glad that his friends aren't there to see it.   
  
"Are you okay?" A voice asks from above him. It sounds concerned, at the very least. 

Wash looks up and sees that it was the young woman. She's stashing what looks like a plastic bag full of torn up vegetables in the little satchel slung over her shoulder. He blinks up at her, embarrassed. "Uh, yeah. Maybe."    
  
The woman frowns and offers him a hand, which Wash takes. She helps him up and walks him over to an empty bench, rooting around in her bag the entire time. She finds whatever she was looking for and extracts a tiny hard-cased first aid kit and a pack of tissues along with it.    
  
Wash reaches for the tissues immediately and moves to stop the bleeding from his nose first. Everything else can come after. "Thanks." He says to her. "I didn't mean to-"    
  
"What happened?" She asks him instead, looking at him with soft doe eyes. She's quite  _ cute _ , really, Wash thinks. It figures that she was meeting him because he was a walking disaster. Running disaster. Falling disaster. All of them seemed to apply for the moment.    
  
"I think that-" Wash takes a breath. "I think I tripped over my own shoelaces."    
  
And yeah, just like that, he's pretty sure that any chance he had of hitting it off with the cute girl with  the first aid kit that likes to feed geese is gone.    
  
She just sighs. "I guess you'll have to be more careful next time, then." The woman picks her head up, looking back over at the pond of geese wistfully before reaching back into her bag. "You should probably rinse off your hands."    
  
Wash nods and looks down at the scrapes. He's going to get teased about them later and he  _ knows  _ it. He wishes that it mattered a lot less than it would to his friends. "Thanks." He says quietly, looking back over at the woman. "I'm Wash. I'd shake your hand, but-"    
  
"Connie." She replies, barreling him over just like that. Wash is actually glad for it because it means that he doesn't need to explain himself.    
  
"I uh..." Wash swallows. "Sorry to use your tissues."    
  
Connie shrugs. "I wasn't really using them, so I don't see much of a problem." She gets up though, brushing her hands off on her dress. "The least we can do is get your hands cleaned off."    
  
Wash nods, letting himself pull the tissue he's using away from his face for just a moment and then immediately regretting it. He does stand up though, and walks along with Connie to the water fountain. She puts her foot on it to turn it on.    
  
Wash flashes her the least awkward smile he can manage- which isn't much, really, and then shoves his free hand under the flow of water. It stings, but he comes away with it much cleaner. A moment later he repeats the action. Once he's done, Connie steps away from the fountain.    
  
He still needs her first aid kit, and Wash ends up feeling  _ very _ awkward because of it. "I saw that you were feeding the geese." Wash says, his voice coming out far too nasally.    
  
"I was." Connie shrugs, offering him a fresh tissue. Wash takes it graciously. "And you were running with your shoes untied."    
  
"I was trying to catch up with my friends." Wash admits, feeling his face redden. "I didn't mean to trip over my laces."    
  
Connie just smiles though. "You should be more careful next time. You never know when something is going to happen."    
  
Wash gets a good look at her face, and he sees the light smile that she chooses to wear but also something deadly serious to go along with it. Connie is definitely  _ something.  _  Wash doesn’t know exactly  _ what  _ she is, but it scares him a little bit. 

It’s surprising for it to come in such a small and frankly adorable package. 

“Right.” Wash takes a breath. He looks down at his shoes and frowns. He’s going to need to tie them in a moment, but that’s also going to have to wait until his nose has at least stopped bleeding. “I’ll try and do better.” 

Connie pats his shoulder. “You’re fine, Wash. Just try to clean yourself up.” 

Wash nods and looks Connie in the eyes. She gives him back a pitying sort of look, like she isn’t quite sure about him being there with her. “You really didn’t have to help me.” He says quietly. “I mean, you seemed like you were having fun feeding the…”

“Geese.” Connie finishes for him. “And I wasn’t just going to let you get hurt and do nothing.” She leans back into the bench a little bit. “Besides, I walk around with a first aid kit in my bag. The least I could do was put it to use and help you.” 

“Still.” Wash feels his face get hot and he  _ knows _ that he’s blushing. It’s embarrassing, the whole thing. He’s glad that his friends aren’t there with him. If they were then he would surely be getting teased. First for getting himself hurt, and then after for being awkward around a cute girl. “You didn’t have to.” 

Connie shrugs. “The geese are going to be here whether I am or not. Some idiot who falls on his face? That’s not as common.” She smiles at him, gentle. “And definitely more concerning.”

“You think I’m an idiot?”

“I think you made a simple mistake.” Connie finishes her explanation. “And that you needed help.” She leans in towards him, her hands reaching for his head. Wash feels a slight urge to pull back away from her. She just smiles gently at him before tilting his head back so that she could get a better look at his face. “But you aren’t too scuffed up, so that’s good.” 

Wash feels the blush deepen. This is by far the most embarrassing thing he’s ever had happen to him. “Thank you for helping me.” 

“I’m glad to.” Connie sits back up straight. “Just try and focus on getting better, okay?”

Wash laughs a little bit and pulls the tissue away from his nose. At least the bleeding has slowed down. “I’m doing my best.” He gives the park around him one good look. He doesn’t see any of his friends, but they’ll be sure to be lapping him soon. Probably starting with Carolina. “I should look for my friends.” 

Connie rolls her eyes and sighs. “Has the bleeding stopped?”

“Not yet.” Wash admits sheepishly. “But-”

“But you want to find your friends.” Connie shrugs, eyes averted. “I get it.” 

Wash stands up and gives his hands one last good look. He feels like he probably looks a lot better than he feels, and that’s at least something. “I should-” 

“If you insist on finding them, I’ll walk with you.” Connie says with a slight shrug. “At the very least I can stop you from falling flat on your face again.” 

“I’m not going to-” Wash begins to protests but stops, sighing and then kneeling down so that he can tie his shoes. “I’m not going to fall again.” 

Connie rolls her eyes. “You say that, but you’re also using my first aid kit and I’d like to hold onto as many parts of it as I can.” 

Wash blushes. She’s right. She’s completely right and they both know it perfectly well. “Alright.” He says taking a breath, making sure to double-knot his shoes. It’s something that he’s pretty sure he’ll regret later, but for now it’s for the best. “You can walk with me.” 

Connie offers him her hand. Wash reaches out and takes it, struck by just how small it is in his own hand. But she has a strong grip and pulls him up to his feet. Once he’s got himself together, Connie tugs him gently down the pathway in the park. “C’mon.” She says quietly. ‘Let’s find you those friends of yours.” 

“Thanks.” Wash smiles at Connie, and when she notices it, she only smiles back. Blindingly brilliant and too strong. 

Wash is pretty sure that in that moment, he falls in a completely different way. 

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.
> 
> [I'm on tumblr. Sometimes stuff happens. I'm always willing to take new prompts and questions there!](http://arynasea.tumblr.com/)


End file.
